Reversal of Fortune
by LdyAnne
Summary: What makes us who we are? Is it our outward appearance, what we present to the world? After an encounter with an alien laboratory, Sam and Daniel find out for themselves.
1. Default Chapter

RATING: not exactly sure yet, PG-13

CATEGORY: Angst, hurt comfort, drama, action,

SUMMARY: What makes us who we are? Is it our outward appearance, what we present to the world? After an encounter with an alien laboratory, Sam and Daniel find out for themselves.

SPOILERS: Holiday, Legacy

DISCLAIMER: They don't belong to me, but that's okay as long as I can take them out and play with them whenever I want. I'll put them back… eventually. The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-I, the Goa'uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.

* * *

Colonel Jack O'Neill sat at the conference table fidgeting in his seat. He was dealing with a case of serious boredom and wondered just how much longer the briefing could go on.

He looked up speculatively at Major Samantha Carter, his 2nd in command. Standing at the head of the table, there was a read-out on the screen behind her that he could make neither heads nor tails of. Currently she was waxing eloquent about a new planet that her cold dialing program had found to be a viable alternative for the team to investigate. He shifted uncomfortably hoping not to draw her attention.

Glancing sideways at their resident civilian and archeologist seated beside him, the Colonel was privately relieved to see that Daniel looked slightly glazed, too. Sam had been going on for way too long and if she didn't wind it up soon, her teammates were in danger of dying of old age or boredom, take your pick.

What was she going on about again? Oh, yeah...he leafed through the pictures they had received from the MALP. Shuffling through them he tried to pretend to an interest that didn't exist - it had left about an hour before - two minutes after she had begun. He wished he could have gone with it.

The pictures from the Malp revealed a laboratory on the other side of the Stargate. Dark, dusty and long since abandoned; but what they could see was enough to excite the scientist in Samantha Carter.

She could barely contain her enthusiasm, "Sir, who knows what we'll find?" She enthused as she clicked through the pictures on the screen. "This could be another lab like Machello's."

Jack remembered the alien lab she was referring to all too well. All of the machinary they had discovered there now resided at Area 51.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, here, Carter, but we don't actually know how to use any of the equipment we carted out of that lab, do we?" The Colonel looked at her expectantly, they both knew that government 'experts' had been trying for years now to discover just exactly what those machines did.

"We know how to use that person switching machine and the Goa'uld killing device in the PTD's," Daniel supplied helpfully.

Unfortunately Daniel himself had found out how those particular weapons worked in an all too-personal way. Jack knew his friend still had nightmares from his time spent in a little white room when everyone at the SCG had thought him insane. In actuality he had been infected with a Goa'uld-killing device hidden inside a page-turning device. They had barely figured that one out before he was driven truly insane and Teal'c had died.

Sam shot him her best 'don't help me' look and continued, "Sir, isn't our number one priority to find new weapons and technology to use against the Goa'uld? How are we going to do that if we don't investigate new planets just because we're afraid of breaking a nail?" She blushed when the Colonel didn't answer, merely raised an eyebrow at her. "Sorry, sir, but you know what I mean."

"I do, Carter, and yes, we're going to check out your lab," he raised his hand to forestall the tide of enthusiasm he knew was going to rush forth to drown them all. She could be as bad as Daniel if you let her, with all of her scientific jargon. At least she usually got the implied request to not bore them all with it, sometimes though she just didn't read the signals...,

"Sir, this could be the breakthrough we've been waiting for. There are things in that lab that are hundreds of years ahead of our science."

"I got that, Carter. But before we charge off, let's ask ourselves, why did whoever owns this lab just up and leave? Why leave all that good stuff just lying around for someone else to find?" He held up a hand to stop her next comment, "I know, I'm just saying we should be careful, that's all. We should wait for Teal'c." Ever since the big man had joined them on Chulak, Jack just felt safer with the Jaffa at his back.

Daniel chose that moment to again take part in the debate, "Come on, Jack, Teal'c's gone out with SG7 for recon. They could be gone for days. There's nobody there," he pointed out, "the MALP hasn't found any signs of life. We'll be all right with just the three of us."

"Teal'c can join us when he gets back," Carter said in her oh-so-reasonable voice.

Jack hated it when Carter used that particular wheedling tone, and when the two of them double-teamed him he knew he was doomed.

Damn. Jack sighed silently. They looked like two kids begging for some special treat.

"Okay, kids," he said when he couldn't stand their imploring looks any longer, "you've convinced me. We leave in one hour. And be sure to go to the bathroom before you leave. We won't be stopping for any potty breaks." He watched with a smile as his teammates scramble to prep for the mission.

An alien lab, what fun. He'd better take a deck of cards, or he was going to be bored silly.

Geez, following the two scientists around in a laboratory, he had a sudden longing to join Teal'c and the marines of SG7 on recon on whatever Goa'uld infested world they were currently on. In exactly one hour and three minutes he was going to be in danger of being bored to death. Death by staff weapon was fast becoming an attractive option.

* * *

_The system awakened with the first rumblings of the gate. It had been many years since the gate had been dialed to the facility, and now it had been accessed twice within a handful of days. The last time only a machine had come through, a machine much inferior to the system itself._

_It judged the machine to be no threat to the facility, but neither did the computer communicate with it. It spared minimum resources to maintain a vigil on the strange machinery, but did not break it's long slumber._

_But this time there were life-forms stepping through the event horizon of the Stargate. The computer instantly powered up the facility and brought itself online. It began analyzing and processing information about the new arrivals. It regretted the delay but it had been so long since the masters had visited the facility, it would be several hours before the equipment would be ready._

_The master computer set to work checking its programs, soon it would be ready to serve its Goa'uld masters again. Hopefully they would be patient with the delay.

* * *

_

The second the three members of SG-1 stepped through the gate, lights in the laboratory sprang on around them.

"Wow, some sort of automated system maybe?" Carter mused out loud.

"This didn't happen when the MALP came through," Daniel pointed out, waving a hand at the bright lights.

Jack could just see Carter's mind working at light speed, "The MALP is mechanical. Maybe they're set to come back on when 'someone' comes through the gate?"

"Is that a good thing?" Daniel eyed the room with suspicion. Machines that could distinguish between biological and mechanical couldn't be good.

The colonel agreed with him. He didn't like automated systems. Unexpected things happened with automated systems. His spidey sense began to tingle, "Maybe we should go home and come back when Teal'c can play, too."

"Come on, guys, it's just the lights." Carter chided. "Surely if there was some sort of automated defenses, we'd be dead already?" Carter gave Jack 'that' look – her double-dog dare you look.

He was almost ready to order them home when Daniel called out, "Hey, guys, look at this."

Bent over a panel, he pulled a soft brush from his pack and was cleaning the surface of what appeared to be years of accumulated dust. "There's writing here. I think it's Goa'uld."

"Oh, great, this is just getting better and better." That bad feeling in Jack's gut kicked up a notch. "What does it say?"

"Just a sec." Daniel continued to brush away the dust, blowing at it softly from time to time. "It's seems to be some sort of welcome."

"That's a good sign." Carter supplied hopefully.

"You think? Why am I not so sure about that? What does it say exactly, Daniel?"

'I'm working on it."

His teammates waited impatiently, as he carefully studied the panel. The major bounced on the balls of her feet, her gaze taking in the laboratory eagerly, her hands flexing in excitement. Jack could see that she was just itching to get her hands on the equipment around her. She had the glazed look of a kid in a candy store who didn't know which treat to start with.

The colonel on the other hand held his gun at the ready. He didn't really think it was a good thing to be welcomed by the Goa'uld. Welcomed for what, for instance? Maybe they were being welcomed as hosts or welcomed as guinea pigs in some sort of twisted Goa'uld test. They had seen far too many of those in their years of exploring the Stargate, and he for one had no desire to be a lab rat.

Daniel finally finished his study, "Okay, I think I have it. It says something like, 'Welcome to this place of change.' Um... and then it goes on 'We hope that your visit does end in finding that which you desire… or maybe… lost.' Well, either way, it's somewhat cryptic, but not really threatening."

"A place of change?" Carter asked. "What kind of change, does it say?"

"You can be sure it's not oil they're talking about," the colonel said tightly. Carter just rolled her eyes at him.

Daniel shook his head, "That's all it says. Maybe we should have waited for Teal'c after all. He might know something about this place."

"You think?" The bad feeling was still there in the pit of his stomach, but Jack had to admit that, so far, they had met nothing threatening.

Making a decision he told them, "Okay, let's take a couple of hours. Daniel take some video of this place. Carter, look around, just don't touch anything, okay? We don't want to set anything off accidentally. Let's see what we can see before we go home and wait for Teal'c to come back here with us."

To be continued....


	2. Chapter 2

_The central computer analyzed the life forms that were currently moving through the laboratory - three humanoids, two males and one female, basic bipedal life forms with signs of higher brain functions. They were in excellent health and extremely fit, they were prime candidates for the change. The Goa'uld symbiote was not present, but that was not necessary. The Lords often sent individuals for the change._

_The computer made the necessary adjustments to it's systems, accessing the correct files, preparing the proper equipment._

_Soon now it would be ready to make the change for it's masters.

* * *

_

"Okay, kids, we ready?" Jack's fingers tapped the edge of the DHD. Daniel had written the address down for him, and he had it out. "This place is giving me the creeps."

He had been hurrying the two scientists for the last thirty minutes. With every minute that ticked by, he felt they were passing some failsafe for their safe return. Looking back, he was gratified to find his teammates picking up their packs and taking one last look around.

"Alright, Jack," Daniel muttered irritably.

Jack knew he was being unreasonable. His team wasn't used to seeing him so worked up, but they knew his mood and they were working hard not to make it worse. "Just dial the address, we're right behind you."

Jack had been waiting for this moment. He pressed the glyphs quickly and surely. He'd already dialed the address twice, just to make sure they were right. Then the general had radioed to tell the colonel that Jack was going to pay the electric bill next month if he kept it up.

After that, Jack had just fidgeted, watching over their shoulder, asking if they were ready yet. Generally driving them to distraction. Now they were on their way, Jack let out a sigh of relief.

The address dialed, Jack moved to stand next to the open gate waiting for the other two to join him.

"Last one through the gate is a rotten egg," his mood was starting to lighten now that the gate was open and Carter and Daniel were moving toward him. Satisfied that they were at last getting with the program, he turned and began to step through the rippling surface of the gate.

It was then that he heard the strange hissing noise. He had just enough time to turn his head to see Carter and Daniel crumple and fall. Then the gate had him, pulling him through inexorably. By the time he exited at the SGC he was unconscious. Crashing into the ramp he was totally unaware of his head impacting first and his body following, to lie in an inelegant heap.

* * *

Watching from the observation room above the gate room, General George Hammond was horrified to see the body of Jack O'Neill come shooting through the gate to lie lifeless on the ramp. He hit the alarm as someone else called the medical emergency. The marines in the embarkation room stood at the ready as they waited for the return of the rest of SG1 - or worse, through the gate.

By the time Frasier and her medical team had removed the unconscious colonel, the gate had disengaged. The only traveler through the gate had been the colonel. Of the rest of his team there was no sign or word of their condition.

Teal'c, who had returned from his recon,was in the gate room preparing to join his team when Jack had come flying through the gate. He watched as the medical team carried him from the room, then he turned to the general, "General Hammond, I require permission to go through the gate so that I may determine the condition of Major Carter and Daniel Jackson, and rescue them if possible."

It was hard for the general, he too wanted to know where the rest of SG-1 was, but he shook his head. "I can't allow that, Teal'c. No one's going back through that gate until the colonel wakes up and can tell us what happened."

Teal'c knew he was right, strategically speaking. But he had learned from years of living and working with the Tau'ri that what made sense in terms of logic and strategy wasn't always what the heart wanted to hear. It didn't matter what danger lay on the other side of the gate. His friends were there.

Daniel Jackson whom he regarded as his special responsibility to keep safe. And Samantha Carter, she who had a heart as fierce as any male warrior he had ever known. Along with Jack O'Neill, they were his friends and his family. He felt as if he had failed them in the most basic of ways by not being at their side when they had need of him. Now he needed to be with them, even if it was to die at their side.

Quickly he calculated the odds of overpowering the guards, making it to the dialing computer and escaping before he could be stopped. He rejected the idea in an instant and instead, asked simply, "Perhaps a probe may be sent to determine the fate of Major Carter and Daniel Jackson?"

"We're already on it," the General assured him.

Teal'c bowed slightly, "Then I shall go wait with O'Neill until he regains consciousness and can tell us more."

The general watched him leave. In the beginning he had had great reservations about the alien. Those suspicions had been well-grounded; Teal'c had been Apophis' First Prime, commanding armies in the name of his God. Now, in a strange twist of fate, the man was their most trusted ally in their fight against the Goa'uld.

"Good man," Hammond murmured as he watched the Jaffa accept another man's orders over the wishes of his own heart.

Hell, the general knew how he felt. He wanted to grab a gun and go after the Major and Doctor Jackson himself. Years of experience had taught him that there was more danger to going in unprepared than to take the time to regroup and to have a well thought out plan. Daniel and the Major would be all right - they had to be.

He turned back to the people waiting for his orders. As the Jaffa disappeared down the stairs, the general began to bark orders. The people around him hurried to do something, anything, that would bring their missing friends home.

_

* * *

In the laboratory, the main computer noted in its logs that one male had departed. Perhaps he had thought the facility inoperative, unable to fulfill his needs. Perhaps he had gone back to report to the Goa'uld system lords that the facility was no longer operational. But he was wrong as he would find out when his companions failed to return with him. He would return for the change and he would find the facility ready to receive him._

_It had taken much longer to get its systems back on-line, longer than the main computer had calculated. It had been many years since its services had been needed. It had been forced to bypass several major systems and the power had been uncertain for some time. But now at last, everything was prepared. _

_There were two subjects remaining for the change. Soon the facility would prove that it was once again ready and able to fulfill the desires of the masters._

_

* * *

_

To be continued


	3. Chapter 3

O'Neill opened his eyes slowly, cautiously. The room seemed to dip and swirl around him. Briefly the old cartoons he and Charlie used to watch flashed through his mind, he was reminded of the anvil falling on the head of the hapless Coyote as the Roadrunner laughed and whizzed away.

He groaned, "did anyone get the number of the Roadrunner that ran over me.?" The room slowly came into focus and he found Teal'c standing next to his bed.

He regarded Jack with a raised eyebrow. "I have never heard of this 'Roadrunner?' Why would he wish to do you harm? Is this a new Goa'uld system lord?"

Jack groaned again, "Your education is sadly lacking, my friend, we'll have to..." he trailed off as the memory of what had happened came rushing back. He sat bolt upright.

Wrong move, he realized, as the infirmary tilted precariously around him. The beepers on the monitors he was connected to all started to go crazy at once. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he tried to stand. Teal'c caught him before he crashed to the floor.

"O'Neill, is this wise?"

"Dammit, Teal'c, Carter and Daniel are still back in that place. We've got to go back and get them."

The Doctor made her entrance at that moment, her heels clicking on the concrete floor, "Colonel O'Neill, you're not going anywhere until I say so. Now, if you will be so good as to lie down, I will call the general and let him know that you're awake."

There was a brief battle of wills as their eyes locked. When he found that couldn't stand without Teal'c's help he gave in with a muttered curse. Settling back onto the bed, he asked with a scowl. "How long have I been out?"

"It's been over two hours," she told him reluctantly.

Jack moaned softly. Two hours? His mind sorted through the things that could be done to the human body in two hours. None of them were good. "Has there been any word from them?" He knew the answer, he had to ask just the same.

"There has not, O'Neill. The general did send a probe through the gate..." It was rare for Teal'c to hesitate. It couldn't be good.

"And," Jack prompted wearily.

"There were no signs of Major Carter or Daniel Jackson anywhere. Although the laboratory you were investigating does seem to now be operational."

"God, Teal'c, I left them there."

Teal'c put a hand on his shoulder. He knew how O'Neill felt, it was the pain that gnawed at him, "We will get them back, O'Neill."

"But at what cost?"

The jaffa had no answer to that. He was saved from having to make a reply with the arrival of General Hammond.

He looked over the Colonel's head at the Doctor, "How is he?"

"He was knocked with some unknown type of gas, we're running tests but it seems to be working its way out of his system. He has a concussion from his impact with the gate, but his head is pretty hard, he should be okay. " She turned her glare onto Jack, "If he listens to his doctor that is."

"General," Jack ignored her and focused on Hammond, "request permission to go back to that lab and bring Carter and Daniel home."

"All in good time, Colonel."

"Sir, no offense intended, but God only knows what's happening to my team right now. We need to go back now and get them." Jack pleaded with his commanding office, "I need to get them." That need was plainly written on his face for all to see.

It was hard to get close to Colonel Jack O'Neill, black ops specialist, and Air Force officer, but these two had become his family and were closer to him than any one else - on world or off. Along with Teal'c, he would do anything for them. Hell, he would die for them.

And right now he felt like he was suffocating, drowning in his need to go back for them. He was safe and they were gone from his side, a very important part of his own self was missing.

"Colonel O'Neill," the general's voice hardened. He knew how the colonel felt, Major Carter and Doctor Jackson were special to the SGC and they needed to get them back. But now was not the moment to go off half-cocked.

He needed O'Neill as an officer and a soldier if they were to rescue their missing companions. "We can debrief and you can tell us what happened over at that lab, or I can let the doctor sedate you, and you can spend the next six hours in this bed sleeping while the rest of us rescue your team. Your choice, colonel." The general stared down at him with steely eyes. As if to reinforce his point, the doctor pulled a syringe from her pocket and held it up, tapping it.

O'Neill recognized the harsh tone of command. He used it himself with Daniel upon occasion. It worked now to snap him back into his military training and steadied him. He allowed himself to fall back into the pillow. Teal'c stood beside him, hand on his shoulder lending his not-inconsiderable support silently. He nodded, "Debrief it is, sir."

With a satisfied nod, the general asked in a gentler tone, "Colonel..., Jack,what happened over there? You were only going to stay three hours, it was over six before you came back."

Jack took a deep breath and pushed aside his concern for his friends, it would be there waiting when this was done. He let his military training take over, "It was just a laboratory, General. Carter kept going on about gene splicing and DNA research, but it was so far over my head that it sounded like Daniel and his Abydonian to me. Everything seemed harmless enough. It didn't look like anyone had been there for a long, long time."

He rubbed his head, trying to think. "Everything was automated, the second we came through the gate the lights came on and the place seemed to power up."

"Was there any indication of what the lab was for?" The General leaned forward.

"Carter was pretty sure it had to do with genetics. Maybe using gene splicing to create the perfect host or jaffa or something."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow at that, "It was a Goa'uld facility, O'Neill?"

"Daniel found a panel with some Goa'uld writing on it. He said it was called '_the place of change_'_."_ Something flickered across the usually impenetrable jaffa calm. "Does that mean something?"

"It is a story I heard when I was a youngwarrior in training to become a jaffa." His gaze turned inward as he struggled to remember those half-forgotten tales. "That there was a place where the Goa'uld could go if they wished for change."

"What kind of change are we talking here, Teal'c?" Jack had learned many years before to not ask the question if you didn't want to hear the answer, but sometimes you had to.

Teal'c shifted and hesitated as if he really didn't want to the answer the question, "Some Goa'uld have a definite preference whether their host body be male or female. Some of them have remained mates through hundreds of years with many different hosts. We have seen it to be thus."

"Like with Martuf and Jolinar?" The Doctor asked quietly.

"Indeed." He paused, clearly uncomfortable to be the focus of their scrutiny. "We have also seen that there have been occasions when the symbiote does not have a selection of host - in the heat of battle for instance when their host is killed. The symbiote must find the first available host or die itself. There was a story that if the Goa'uld did not like the..." he paused searching for the correct word.

"Gender," Janet supplied.

Jack lay back, the fear growing inside him. Yes, he was sure now, he didn't want to hear where this was going.

"Yes," Teal'c nodded, "that is correct. If the Goa'uld did not like the gender of its host, it could go to the place of change and ... " he let the sentence trail off, his meaning clear.

"Damn." Jack closed his eyes, refusing to think the words.

The general spared him the necessity. "You think that's what may have happened to Major Carter and Doctor Jackson? Their gender has been changed?" he asked horrified.

Teal'c nodded, "Yes, General Hammond. I believe if they were able, they would have contacted us by now. I believe when they return to us, they will be…" he searched for another word, but could not find one. "They will be changed."

"Even if they don't have a Goa'uld symbiote?" The general's forehead creased as he tried to imagine the enormity of what Teal'c was telling them.

"The Goa'uld are cruel masters, General Hammond," Teal'c answered in a grave, too-calm voice. "There were stories they would send slaves to this facility for the change to satisfy other desires."

Jack knew he didn't want to think about that.

"I do not know if these stories are true. Apophis never spoke of this facility and no one I have ever known has experienced this.. change. It is simply a tale told around the fire." Teal'c continued, his hand on Jack's shoulder clenched.

Jackwas grateful that the general was asking the questions that his head hurt too much to ask.

"Teal'c, do you think that this facility would still be operative with no one there to run it, even after all this time?" Surely even Goa'uld machinery had to break down sometime.

"Many Goa'uld facilities are automated to run without human assistance. With Naquada as the power source, these facilities may remain operational for many, perhaps hundreds, of years. It is very likely that this laboratory is still functional."

"So, we have to be prepared for anything on the other side of that gate," Jack struggled to sit up. Question and answer time was over, it was time to go. Maybe if they could through the gate now, Carter and Daniel would still be... Carter and Daniel. It was possible.

Teal'c looked down at him, his face difficult to read, "O'Neill you can not go through the gate."

"Excuse me?" He was sure he hadn't heard what the other man had just said.

"You can not go through the gate, O'Neill, or you will suffer the same fate as Daniel Jackson and Major Carter. I am the only one that may safely go there to retrieve them."

"And what exactly makes you immune to this place?" There was no way in Netu that Jack O'Neill was going to sit on his ass, safe in the SGC, while his friends were in danger. No way.

"I am a Jaffa. We would go as bodyguard and servant to the Goa'uld to experience this '_change_.' I am certain I would be safe,. the machinery would be set to ignore any Jaffa presence."

"Jack, I think you're going to have sit this one out." Jack could tell by his tone that the general would brook no argument on this one.

"Sir," he began. He had to at least try.

The general stopped him mid-splutter, "Jack, cooperate. And, if the doctor agrees, you can be in charge of the operation on this side of the gate."

She nodded her consent and he went on, "Try to go off half-cocked and I'll have the doctor sedate you and we'll lock you up until this is over. Your choice."

The two men glared at each other for a moment until finally the colonel looked away, he wasn't doing too well in the battle of wills today. It must the damned headache, it was ruining his concentration.

He cleared his throat, "I'll be good, general. I just want them back, as them."

"So do I, Jack. Rest assured, we will get them back," Hammond assured him. "Now brief Teal'c on what to expect so we can get this mission underway."

* * *

_The change proceeded unimpeded. The bodies of the male and female were prepared and placed into the stasis chambers. They were mapped and the proper samples were taken. When the master computer was satisfied, the nanocytes that would begin the process were injected. _

_They were healthy humanoid subjects and the change would please them greatly, the master computer was sure. It hummed to itself gently, glad to be of use to its masters once more._

_

* * *

_

To be continued


	4. Chapter 4

Jack paced the length of the control room. First one direction and then the other. His head ached, but he refused to take anything for the pain. The Doc's medications tended to make him fuzzy. He needed to be sharp, he needed to be in command of getting his friends back.

It had taken so much longer than he'd liked to get Teal'c debriefed and ready to make the trip back to the Goa'uld laboratory. Just as they had been ready to dial out, another team had returned through the gate unexpectedly. They had suffered injuries, and the base had been thrown into emergency mode once again taking care of them.

Finally all was ready and the computer was dialing the address where his friends were waiting.

What was happening to them? It had been hours now and anything could have happened to them in that time.

Jack refused to think about it. Just get them home, then worry about their condition. He watched as the gate opened with a whoosh.

Teal'c stepped through and disappeared from his sight. At last.Jack's stomach clenched at the thought of what the jaffa might find on the other side.

* * *

_The change was complete._

_The computer ran scans to ensure that all was well. The twosubjects were sleeping, waiting to be retrieved by their masters. _

_The gate opened and a jaffa stepped through. The computer powered down the facility, satisfied._

_All was as it should be.

* * *

_

The colonel continued to pace while he waited for word from Teal'c. The minutes had ticked by slowly since Teal'c had stepped through the gate and Jack's nerves were stretched tight. The technicians in the room did their jobs quietly and efficiently. They didn't know exactly what was going on, just that two members of SG-1 were missing, but that was enough. This team was the heart of the program. They held their breath with the colonel and waited.

Finally, the gate spun and the signal from Teal'c came. But, instead of simply bringing their missing friends back, he radioed ahead a request. O'Neill didn't think about it's implications, he simply acted; leave the thinking for later.

"You heard the man," he growled to the technicians, "get out."

They left the room at best speed, clearing the hallways to the infirmary in front of them.

* * *

Daniel sat on the infirmary bed with his knees drawn up to his chest,arms wrapped around them,head bowed low. He was doing his very best not to see the people moving around him, to not feel the poking and prodding of the doctor or the strangeness of his own body. And he was most definitely trying hard not to think about this most current situation that SG-1 had found itself in. Not hard considering the fact that since he had woken up in the alien lab, his mind had refused to wrap itself around what had happened.

"How are they, Doc?" Daniel heard Jack's voice next to him.

Opening his eyes a little, he slid a glance in Jack's direction. He didn't think he'd ever seen his friend so angry, his fists were clenching and unclenching. Daniel knew how he felt. He really wanted to punch something himself.

Teal'cexplained to them what he knew about the '_place of change_' as they were being examined. He told them how he had arrived to find them unconscious. He had been able to revive them and get them back through the gate.

Daniel remembered the nightmare of waking in that place. Of realizing that he had been changed in a way that he hadn't even recognized his own body. Even groggy from the alien sedative, he and Sam had realized the enormity of what had happened to them.

The trip back through the gate had been surreal. Concentrating on watching Teal'c and Teal'c alone, he couldn't even look at Sam because that would have made what had happened to them real, to see that she had been changed, too.

Closing his eyes again, he let the sounds and smells of the infirmary wash over him. He heard the beeps and hums, inhaled the pungent aromas that was always evident in the place. He tried to let that familiarity convince himself that everything was alright. But he knew he would fail. The world had changed irrevocably and nothing would ever be the same again.

"Colonel O'Neill," Daniel heard Fraiser answer, "Daniel and Sam are fine. They check out in perfect health."

"Except...," even with his eyes closed, Daniel could see his friend waving his arms around indicating the condition of his teammates.

"Well, yes," she admitted reluctantly, "except for the obvious of course."

"Of course," was Jack's sarcastic reply.

"I've asked the general to come down here for debriefing. I really don't want Daniel and Sam being paraded through the halls right now." Her tone was curt in response to his.

Jack's voice softened, "I'm sorry, Doc. I know none of ... this is your fault, you're just trying to help."

There were footsteps and Daniel heard the general's voice, "What can you tell us, doctor? How are our kids?"

"Well, general, as I was telling Colonel O'Neill, aside from the obvious, they're in perfect health."

"Can this 'change,' whatever's been done to them, be reversed?"

_Now that was the question wasn't it?_ Daniel waited breathlessly for the answer.

There was silence. Silence was never good.

"That's just it, general," Janet finally spoke, "there's absolutely no evidence that anything's been 'done' to them. I'll need to run more tests, but initial examination shows them be perfectly healthy."

Daniel finally looked up to see his friends standing there. Jack, General Hammond, the doctor, and Teal'c standing quietly to the side. When he spoke his voice broke embarrassingly, "Except..." he cleared his throat and started again, "except when I went through the gate I was a man and now..." he couldn't say it quite yet, "I'm not." His voice trailed off as all the eyes in the room turned to look at him.

Daniel could feel the tears welling up inside of him and he looked away—straight at Sam. Well, Sam as she would have been if she'd been born a man - handsome and blonde with startlingly blue eyes. Daniel knew the pain he saw there was mirrored in his own.

He turned back to the others and just said it, "I mean look at me. I'm a woman."

He buried his head in his arms as he felt the tears start to flow. God he didn't want them to see him like this, crying like a girl. But he didn't seem to be able to stop it as he felt the tears streak down his cheeks to drip onto the blanket below. He didn't look to see who tucked a Kleenex into his clenched fist, but he knew it was Jack.

Jack had been doing his best to avoid thinking the words since Teal'c had brought them through the gate, but it was impossible to avoid now. Daniel was a woman. If Daniel as a man had turned heads, Daniel as a woman was going to cause traffic accidents. And Sam, well Jack had a feeling that Sam had a masculine body the Marines of SG7 would envy.

"Doctor, how could this even happen?" the general asked.

Jack knew how he felt. He needed something he could quantify to help deal with the whole bizarre situation.

"Frankly I don't know. I don't even know what this is. It's like their bodies were born as this gender, all the way down to their DNA. If Daniel had been born a woman, this is what she would look like, this is what she would be." They could all hear the frustration in her voice. Janet took her responsibilities seriously and she didn't like it when something happened to one of her friends that she couldn't fix.

"Hello," Jack couldn't help the snarky tone in his voice, "Daniel wasn't born a woman, Carter was."

"Colonel O'Neill," Carter spoke for the first time and Jack was forced for the first time to really take a look at what had happened to his second in command. The face was so familiar, still Sam, but the lines and angles her face were all masculine, harder somehow. Her body was now athletic and well-muscled. That voice, lower in timber now, wavered, "Jack, it's not Janet's fault that this was done to us. And it's not your fault either."

"Dammit, Sam, if I'd been there..." he began

"You'd be a woman, now, Jack." Daniel finished for him, his voice muffled and tearful. When he raised his head, his eyes were red and swollen, but he seemed to have regained some measure of calm as he spoke. "There was some sort of gas that knocked us out as you were going through the gate. If you'd been there, you wouldn't have had a chance to help us. You'd have been… changed like us. Trust me, you wouldn't like it, at all."

"Hey" Sam said in a strange masculine voice, "this is no picnic either. How do you guys deal with it"

"Kids, this is so not the time." The colonel moved to stand between the two beds where his friends rested. "We'll figure this out." They were SG-1, of course they would figure it out.

"Just keep telling yourself that, Jack."

Jack reached out to lay a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder. It felt strange under his hand. They were still wearing the strange garments they had been dressed in when Teal'c had found them unconscious in the lab. Daniel's was short and silky with a strap over one shoulder, leaving the other bare, the one under Jack's hand. The skin was soft and smooth and totally foreign to him. Jack snatched his hand away as if burned.

Daniel smiled sadly at him, understanding and forgiving that instinctive reaction. Hesitantly Jack put his hand back and gave a small squeeze.

"Ok, people," the general spoke and the colonel gratefully turned his attention that direction, "let's just calm down. Dr. Jackson, Major Carter, I know this is hard, but we need to ask some questions here. Are you up to it?"

"Yes, sir," came Sam's prompt reply. Jack could see that gleam in her eye that told him her scientific curiosity had been piqued.

"You heard the doctor, we're perfectly healthy." What Daniel may have intended to come out as levity instead sounded sarcastic and bitter. "I'm sorry, sir." He frowned at the sound of his own voice, "I didn't mean that the way it sounded."

"It's alright, son, er... Dr. Jackson, this is hard, I know. Did you find anything in that facility to help us figure this out?"

"No, sir," Sam answered. "Janet and I could go over the video but without years of study onsite I don't think we're going to find anything."

"Absolutely not," declared the general. "From what Teal'c told us earlier, this is going to happen to anyone who goes to that lab. I'm not taking that chance until we know how to turn the machinery off or neutralize it in some fashion."

"Well, let's just not neutralize it until Sam and I have been... I don't know... changed back, cured, whatever..." Daniel spluttered in frustration.

"I think we're going to have to have a whole new vocabulary to talk about this." Janet smiled gently at Daniel. "In the meantime I would recommend that we keep Daniel and Sam on the base until they get some equilibrium over this whole situation."

Daniel, for one, had no problem with that.

* * *

To be continued...

Thanks for the feedback ;-)


	5. Chapter 5

Hammond sat in his office staring at the report in front of him. He'd been staring at it for over an hour and he still had no idea what it said. All he could see was Sam Carter and Daniel Jackson… changed. He didn't know why this seemed so much more shocking than the multitude of other things they'd faced over the years. But this thing had changed them at such a basic level. They had always recovered before and come back stronger than ever. He wasn't so confident that was going to happen again. A soft knock at the door caused him to look up. Walter Davis stuck his head in.

"Dr. Fraiser is getting ready to move them, sir," his voice was quiet. He was one of the few people on the base besides those directly involved who knew what had happened.

"You've arranged for the halls to be cleared?" The general knew that news was going to get out quickly enough. It was hard to keep a secret in their little community, but he would do what he could to safeguard his people's privacy for as long as possible.

Walter nodded, "Yes, sir. It's late, there's not many people around to clear. We're running a foothold drill."

"Good." Good man. Hammond knew he wouldn't be able to run things at the SGC without him. "Did you have someone get two of the VIP rooms ready for them?"

"Yes, sir. It's all taken care of."

"That's good." He turned back to the report he'd been trying to read.

"Sir?"

"Yes?" Hammond looked up to find Davis still standing uncertainly in the door.

"They'll be alright won't they? Major Carter and Doctor Jackson I mean."

The general smiled a little, pushing aside his own concerns for the moment, "Of course they will. They're SG-1."

Davis brightened a little, "Yes, sir. Of course, sir. You're right."

"I'm always right, Sgt. I'm the general, remember?"

"Yes, sir, thank you, sir."

"Thank you, Walter."

With a small smile, Davis shut the door behind him, leaving a profound silence behind him.

Would SG-1 be alright?

He might be a general, but he didn't have that answer. He just did what he could for them. Somehow assigning them two of the VIP rooms seemed like such a small thing. And then he hoped they would sort it out. Come up with yet another miracle. Their luck was sure to run out sometime, but Hammond hoped it held out one more time.

With a frustrated sigh, he shut the report and slid it aside. It would have to wait for tomorrow. Tonight he needed to go home and hug his granddaughters. They helped to remind him that there were still ordinary people in the world that were depending on him and the SGC to keep them safe. It helped to balance the sacrifices they made on a daily basis to know that his granddaughters would grow up in a world that never knew of its peril.

* * *

Daniel awoke, the room dark around him. Remnants of a nightmare clung to him as he tried to gather his scattered wits. Used to waking in strange places off-world, this felt even stranger than most. It took him a moment to realize he was in one of the VIP rooms on base. Why? 

He sat in the bed, reaching up to pinch his nose with his fingers. The second his hand hit his face he remembered. In the darkness he explored his new face with his fingertips.

The skin under his hand was smoother than he remembered…

The lines of his face softer, his chin should have been rough with stubble...

His mind whited out, refusing to consider that who he was could have been changed on such a basic level. He couldn't fathom that he could really be a woman, no, no, no.

He scrambled from the bed, clutching the comforter to him to cover his body, couldn't see, didn't want to see.

He pressed himself into the darkest corner of the room he could find, where he didn't have to see what he now was. He rocked himself gently and pulled the blanket tight around him, to keep the world from invading too close.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the escape of sleep returned.

* * *

Jack stood at the door of the commissary. He surveyed the tables crowded with people having breakfast before they went on duty. He'd stopped at the door of Carter's VIP room only to find that she was already up and out. All was quiet in Daniel's room and the colonel had decided to leave him alone. If he could sleep, let him. 

Looking across the room he spotted a blonde head and headed that way. He stopped short to contemplate the change that had been wrought in his female second-in-command. He'd never thought much about her femininity, it was just something that was. She had proved from the beginning that she was the equal of any man, and smarter than most. If there was a situation that she couldn't fight her way out of, she would think her way out of it, she and Daniel. He wondered briefly what this change was going to mean to his team, then pushed the thought from his mind not wanting to go there yet.

For the moment, he was just hoping to get through breakfast.

Sam was there, seated, a plate full of food in front of her. She seemed a little taller now, if that was possible, her face strong and masculine. He could see the wide shoulders and muscles rippling under the black t-shirt. He caught some of the women in the room casting covert glances in Sam's direction, wondering about the identity of this handsome stranger in their midst. So much for privacy, this was going to make it through the base's grapevine in no time flat.

Jack picked up a tray and put a bowl of fruit loops and a carton of milk on it. Carrying the tray over, he sat at the table with Sam.

"Hey," was his brilliant opening remark.

"Hey, yourself, sir," was her bright rejoinder.

Jack was relieved to see that she at least looked like she was doing okay.

"So?" He couldn't bring himself to ask the question out loud. What did it feel like being a man when you'd spent your entire life being a woman. It made Jack itchy just to think about it.

"So?" She blinked at him while shoveling her breakfast down.

Maybe it really was true that men's IQ's were lower than women's. He couldn't ever remember Samantha Carter using words with less than 3 syllables.

"How are you feeling today, Carter?" Jack poured the milk over his cereal and picked up a spoon.

She considered the question, her head cocked, a typical Carter mannerism. It was reassuring to see it. "Actually, sir, I don't feel that different. Maybe a little uncomfortable in some strange places." She grinned at him companionably. "I can probably live with this until Janet figures out how to reverse it."

That sounded more like the Sam Carter he knew. "So, you going to go down and help her out with research and 'stuff?' he asked cautiously.

She shrugged, "Sure, but I thought first I'd go down to the gym and work out a little. You know kick the tires of my new body, find out what it can do." She grinned in anticipation.

"Be careful, Sam. Things work a lot different in a male body."

She gave him that 'you're as dumb as shit, but you're my commanding officer so I can't say that' look. He'd seen it in scientists and people who considered their brain superior to his military brain. It was a big part of the reason he'd objected to them so long ago when he'd first met Daniel.

Since then Sam and Daniel had changed his mind about scientists and really smart people in general. He didn't think he remembered ever seeing that particular look from her even when he was playing the dumb shit and deserved it.

And she didn't say it today, instead she settled for, "I think I know that, sir. I'm the one in the new body."

Then, before he could call her on it, she switched gears on him and went into Carter hyper-scientist mode, "Sir, I've been doing some research already, and sure there are people who've had a sex change operation, but none of them have experienced it as completely as Daniel and I have. Think of it. We have the chance to study something completely new in the human experience.." She scooped up more eggs and casually added, "Once Daniel's finished freaking out, I think he'll see that, too."

Once Daniel's finished freaking out? The contempt in her voice chilled Jack to the bone, "Come on, Sam, cut him some slack. I think I would be a little freaked waking up in a women's body, too."

"Give me a break, sir. I've been a women all my life and it's not that hard. I'd tell him to just suck it up."

"Major Carter, I think you need to hit the infirmary and see the Doc. I think they gave you a personality switch back in that alien lab."

"Oh, come on, Jack."

He didn't miss the emphasis on his name. Had Carter ever called him by his name? There were only one or two times that he could think of and those were extreme circumstances.

Her voice rose, "We've been babying Daniel for years now. Maybe we're all the right sex now. I mean maybe I'll finally fit in around this 'boys club'. And let's face it, my job will be a lot easier as a man."

For once in his life, Jack O'Neill was speechless. Not only did he not know what to say, but he didn't think he knew this person sitting across from him. At last he found his voice, "Cut the crap, Carter." His voice was hard, cutting like a knife, "Daniel has always pulled his own weight, and we've never treated you as anything but an equal. You've gotten nothing but respect from the men of SG-1."

Around them the room had quieted. Jack was aware that all eyes were on them.

She shook her head, startled, "Where did that come from? I don't know why I said that, sir. I really don't feel that way. I just feel so hyper, kind of like, I don't know, kind of... twitchy." There was fear in her eyes.

Suspicion was beginning to form in Jack's mind, "A little like you did when we had those Tokra armband thingies?"

"Well, ya, a little."

"Can you say testosterone, Carter? Don't you always accuse us guys of saying stupid stuff all the time, speaking without thinking? How does it feel to have the shoe on the other foot?"

She pushed her tray away and stood abruptly, "I'm going to the infirmary and see if I can help, Janet."

She stalked out of the room, leaving him sitting there alone, eating his fruit loops. This was going to be so much fun. They really had to find a way to get his team back to normal.

* * *

My apologies for being so long with this update. Life kind of ambushed me. Hopefully the rest of the story will come along faster now! 


	6. Chapter 6

Jack found himself once again standing outside of Daniel's room. He had brought breakfast as an excuse, but in truth his conversation with Carter had left him spooked and he needed to see Daniel. He needed to make sure his friend was okay. He'd seen Teal'c on his way to Daniel's room and asked him to keep an eye on Carter, then set out to check in on the archeologist.

Whereas normally he would have just walked in, Jack decided in this case he should knock. Perhaps under the circumstances, it would appropriate to give Daniel a little more privacy than was his usual habit. He balanced the tray in one hand, knocking firmly with the other.

When there was no sound from within the room, he knocked again a little harder. Janet had given Daniel a pretty strong sedative to help him sleep, it might take a minute for him to react. Still, there was no sound coming from within the room.

With a muttered, "Privacy is overrated," Jack fished out his security card and swiped it through the box next to the door. The light turned green and he heard the click of the door unlocking. He turned the knob and slowly swung the door open.

It was dark inside. The light from the corridor illuminated the bed, revealing it to be empty.

"Daniel," Jack called out softly as he opened the door. Setting the tray on the table next to the door, he flipped the light on. The room wasn't that big, it didn't take him long to see the pile of blankets in the corner.

Grabbing the phone, he called Janet before rushing to kneel next to Daniel.

He didn't know what to say, what to do.

Gently pulling the blanket away he found Daniel huddled there, pressed into the corner. The now delicate face was white and the skin cold and clammy, despite being bundled into the covers. He patted the cheek, trying to rouse him.

Daniel slitted open an eye and peered up blearily, "Jack?"

"Hey, big guy," He almost stumbled over the words, but kept on. He thought Daniel probably needed some normality right then, some reminder of who he was. "Bed too soft? I never did like those government issue mattresses myself."

Daniel gave a moan, half way between a laugh and a sob, "I don't think I can do this, Jack."

"Come on, Daniel, I know it's hard..."

Daniel gave a vehement shake of his head, his silky hair covering his face,"No, you don't. You don't have any idea what this is like. My head is saying one thing, and my body is saying something different. I don't know how to deal with this."

Jack was infinitely relieved that Janet chose that moment to arrive, because he had no answer for his friend. She knelt next to Daniel on the other side.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, placing cool fingers on his wrist.

"I can't even tell you that, Janet." Daniel answered hollowly.

Jack was chilled at the hopelessness he heard in Daniel's voice. Daniel always had hope. No matter what else happened to him, he had hope.

"I do know hard this is," she said, "at least medically. You're getting conflicting signals and you don't know how to respond. I'm going to give you another sedative, you need to rest and from the looks of things, you didn't get much of that last night. But after that, the best thing for you is to get up and move around. You need to get used to the signals your body is sending you. Your brain needs to start processing them and get used to the way things are, instead of the way it thinks it's supposed to be."

"I don't want to get used to this, Janet." He looked up at her with pleading eyes. "Are you going to be able to find some way to reverse this?"

Janet glanced over at the colonel and he saw the despair in her eyes, but she masked it quickly and answered Daniel, "I'm still working on it. In the meantime, you have to get back into bed." She pulled a hypodermic from her pocket, giving him the sedative before he could object.

Gamely, Daniel tried to struggle to his feet, but Jack could see that it really wasn't going to happen. Without even asking permission, Jack scooped Daniel up bodily.

Daniel's eyes opened wide, startled. Then his mouth thinned in indignation, "Shit, Jack, put me down. I'm not helpless."

Jack grinned as he set Daniel down. He maintained his hold on Daniel's elbow as he walked on unsteady legs to the bed. Sitting down gingerly, he looked up at Jack shyly, "Thanks, Jack."

Jack smiled grimly, "Anytime, buddy."

Daniel lay down, pulling the covers up around his chin. Within seconds he was asleep again, a sweep of hair framing his… her face.

_God, what were they going to do?_

Janet sat on the edge of the bed checking Daniel's vitals quickly. She sighed, "He'll be okay, at least physically. It's his mental state I'm worried about."

"I know. I've never seen him like this, so helpless. I've seen him take the worst the Gou'ald have to offer and get up for more. This has him pretty rattled."

"Colonel, you can't even fathom the differences between men and women. We're not just men with breasts."

"I don't think that..."

She held up a hand to stop his protestations, "I know. But this is a change that affects the very essence of who Daniel and Sam are, how they perceive themselves and the world." She paused trying to form the words, "Everything that Daniel has experienced in his life has been as a man: he thinks like a man, he reacts like a man. Now, to suddenly wake up in the body of a woman. I can't even really imagine what that must be like. I just think we're going to have to take this slowly and be patient."

"I understand that..."

She cut him off brusquely, "No, colonel, I don't think you do." Her voice softened as she continued, "But I do know how you feel about Daniel and Sam. I know you'll be there for them."

"Janet," he asked the question he'd been dreading, "are we going to be able to reverse this?"

She shook her head, "I told you yesterday, colonel, I can't find anything to reverse. There's no sign of how this was done to them. There's no virus for me to cure, there's no nanocytes for Sam to reengineer, there's nothing for me to remove or put back. There's no sign of any invasive procedures, there's nothing for me to do. Unless we can go back to that lab and find the reversal there, there's nothing I can do."

"Oh, God. Then this could be..." Jack couldn't say the words.

"This could be permanent, Colonel."

The despair he felt was reflected on her face.

* * *

Spending the day watching Daniel sleep wasn't the most exciting of pastimes, but Jack stayed at his friend's side. Sam and Teal'c looked in on them from time to time, but Daniel never stirred. Jack just sat at the table, flipping through a magazine pretending to read, but he didn't really see the words, mostly he thought about what this change would mean to his team.

It confused him to even try to think of Daniel as a woman and Sam as a man. Their gender was basic to who they were, and the way people treated them. How was this going to affect them? And how was this going to affect them on a mission? Daniel was clueless as a man to the way people reacted to him, the subtle attraction that nearly everyone had to him. How were they going to deal with him as a drop-dead gorgeous female? _We're peaceful travelers, indeed._

And Sam was used to being a little more aggressive, to being a little more aware of the things around her because she was a woman. They'd had a few close calls over the years of men trying to take advantage of her. What if she lost control of all that pent up aggression on a mission? He had seen the way she reacted in the commissary without even being aware of it. It could be bad, very bad. It was damn sure it would be a while before SG-1 went out on a mission in their present state.

It was nearly time for dinner before Danielmoved again. He stirred and stretched, then sat, taking in the room, Jack sitting at the table. "It wasn't a dream then?"

"Sorry, Daniel, no." Jack watched as Daniel's eyes welled with tears.

Almost angrily, Daniel rubbed at them, "Shit," was his succinct reply. He drew the covers up over his shoulders,trying to hide; whether from Jack or his own body the colonel couldn't tell. "How's Sam doing?"

Jack shrugged, "You know, Carter, any reason to research. She's happy as a clam."

"And I'm the basket case. Seems typical."

"Dammit, Daniel, that's not what I meant."

"I know, Jack." He took a deep breath, trying to hold back the tears. "I just… God, I just… **feel** everything. Is this what it's like to be a woman?"

Jack smiled, trying to be encouraging, "You'd have to ask Carter, she's going to be here in a little while with dinner."

"No! Jack, I don't want anyone to see me like this." Daniel was horrified at the prospect.

"Daniel, it may be… a… while before Doc Fraiser figures this." Jack tried to use logic, it had never worked withthe women in his life, but it was worth a shot, "You can't stay in here forever." He waved a hand to indicate the VIP room.

"I can try," Daniel asserted stubbornly.

Okay, that was good. He was still stubborn, a prime Daniel attribute. "Whatever. Carter and Teal'c are still bringing dinner. Now, how about you shower and change clothes? You'll feel better after you've gotten out of those sweaty clothes."

Daniel looked doubtful, but he pulled the blanket around his shoulder more securelyandstood. When he wobbled, Jack started to move to help. Daniel turned a forbidding glance in his direction and Jack sat back, studiously flipping through the magazine. Trailing the blanket behind him, Daniel made his unsteady way to the bathroom, shutting the door firmly behind him.

* * *

Daniel leaned against the door once it closed behind him.

_Hell_.

Now that he was in the bathroom, he really did need to take a shower. Rank didn't even begin to describe the way he smelled, but he wasn't looking forward to it. He was going to have to face this change in himself in the most intimate of ways. Somehow he had a feeling that Jack had maneuvered him into the shower, knowing just that.

Catching a glimpse of his new face in the mirror, he was caught, studying his own reflection. Blue eyes peered back at him, anxious. Those were the same; but everything else was different, like he was looking at himself in a carnival mirror that distorted everything. The curves of his face was softer now, with high cheekbones and feathery soft eyebrows, his hair was longer and curled under softly at the ends framing his face.

Turning away from the mirror abruptly, he cursed softly. He was trapped in the bathroom with a face that wasn't his. That was probably the worst thing about the whole change. Daniel Jackson no longer knew who he was.

As a man he had his demons and dark places, but he also had friends and work. He had had a wife whom he loved desperately even after her death. They defined him and made him who he was. Now, this change had taken all of that from him. He no longer knew where he stood with Sam and Teal'c and Jack...

He just wanted to find some deep dark place and hide until the whole thing went away. He could feel the tears welling up within him and he wanted to curse, scream, throw things. Even his emotions weren't his to control anymore. They had changed everything about him and he didn't know himself anymore.

He eyed the shower distastefully. He really, really didn't want to do this,but he needed it. He hadn't done more than splash water on his face for two days and his odor was approaching toxic levels. Slowly, reluctantly, he peeled off the scrubs Janet had given him and dropped them to the floor, nudging them away with a toe. He tried to avoid noticing the smooth skin of his arms, the swell of breast, the unreality of his new body.

Turning the water up as hot as he could stand it, he stood under the stream, wishing he could wash the nightmare away. Let this new person swirl away down the drain with the bubbles. He tried not to think about it as he picked up the shower gel and squeezed a dollop into the washcloth. With resolve, he washed himself as quickly as he could, barely skimming his body. He'd known himself so well, he'd been comfortable as a man. He liked being a man. Somehow he'd never thought about being a stranger to himself, not recognizing any part of himself.

Showering was supposed to be simple. You got wet. You washed. You were done. But even washing his hair was different. When he lathered his hair, there was more of it than he knew what to do with. He'd never had hair this long, even when it was at it shaggiest in Abydos. It was even longer now, brushing past his shoulders. He despaired of getting all the soap out of it.

Finally, he was done, clean and soap-free. He was gingerly toweling himself dry when he realized that he'd left his clean clothes on the other side of the door. He considered the clothes he'd been wearing, but he just couldn't put them back on. They were just too gross with the stink of two days worth of stress and worry layered into them.

He could just ask Jack to hand him the clothes, but that would entail an explanation about underwear. He knew Jack had been married and had probably dealt with female underwear before, but Daniel just couldn't deal with the thought of Jack and his underwear in the same sentence. It was wrong somehow.

Okay, there was nothing for it, he was going to have to brave the other room, and Jack, with nothing but a towel to cover his modesty. Suddenly it seemed too small by far.

Wrapping the towel securely around his body, he faced the mirror again to make sure all of his new important parts were covered. He tugged self-consciously on the edge of the material trying to cover his nether regions better. He expelled a breath in frustration. How did women cover themselves in the things? There just wasn't enough material.

With a deep breath he opened the door.

* * *

Jack glanced up from his magazine as Daniel walked out of the bathroom in nothing but his towel. His eyes widened in surprise and his mind blanked for a moment. It's not like he'd never seen Daniel in the buff, there was no place for false modesty in the military, but he'd never seen _this_ Daniel in the buff. Tantalizing expanses of smooth skin were exposed and the towel didn't quite meet where Daniel had it tucked together under his arm.

Daniel caught him looking and scowled at him. Jack dropped his eyes to the magazine, but he felt like the sight had been burned into his brain. _Don't think about it_, Jack told himself. _Think about other things – Senator Kinsey, Harry Maybourne, those little replicator things that kept trying to kill them._

"Not a word, Jack," Daniel said dangerously.

Jack really didn't think he could speak, so it wasn't a problem at all. He just shook his head, his hands raised, his eyes studiously glued to the magazine.

With a snort, Daniel picked up a clean pair of sweats. There was a flash of white as he tucked something else into the bundle. Then he turned on his heel and escaped back into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

Jack had to smile. Daniel definitely had feminine theatrics down.

* * *

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed ;-)


	7. Chapter 7

Teal'c would never admit it, not even if tortured, but he was worried. As First Prime of Apophis he had seen much, but he had never seen this 'change' that had affected his team members. What worried him wasn't the change itself. He knew that the Goa'uld were a depraved race capable of cruelty beyond imagination, it did not surprise him that the System Lords made use ofthis 'change'for their own pleasures and to torture their human slaves. No, what surprised and alarmed him was the reactions of his team mates to the 'change.'

To Teal'c it made little difference what gender the two humans were. He knew them as courageous warriors, male or female it made no difference. It seemed to make a difference to them however. It troubled him that they would view it as a weakness to be other than they knew themselves. He knew himself to be Teal'c inside and whatever he looked like outside, that would not change, so too were Daniel Jackson and Samantha Carter the same inside. It did not matter what they looked like on the outside, it was their heart that mattered. That the Goa'uld could not change.

Over their years together he had seen SG-1 face many dangers. Together they had faced those things, and defeated them as a team. This time there was no enemy to face, no battle to be won, and it frustrated Teal'c. All that he and O'Neill could do for their comrades was to support them and hope that they could adjust to this difference in their lives.

O'Neill had asked him to look after Samantha Carter and that was what he intended to do. Once he found her. Normally he would have located her easily in her laboratory or perhaps helping Doctor Frasier as she searched for a way to fix what could not be fixed, but she was in neither place.

He widened his search to include Daniel Jackson's office and the control room and still no one had seen the absent major. When it finally occurred to him that not many people knew of the change that had befallen SG-1, he began to ask if anyone had seen a new recruit anywhere. It was then that he located the errant major quickly.

If he had not already known that she was inside, Teal'c would have known by the shouting coming from the gym that Major Carter was to be found there. He entered to find the major circled by the marines of SG-3. She looked fairly battered and bruised, but the marine opposite her looked as if he had taken the worst of the beating with a swelling black eye and a bloody nose dripping onto the floor.

"What is going on here?" he inquired of the nearest onlooker.

The man shrugged. "Some new guy," the man said. "He took exception to something one of the marines said about SG-1. He's already beaten two of the marines, this is the third one that's faced him. Don't know who he is, but I hope we get him on our team."

"That will not be likely," Teal'c growled as he shoved his way through bodies. When he finally made it to where the action was, Major Carter was facing a fresh opponent. Teal'c decided it was time to put a stop to things.

"Major Carter," he snapped, "that is enough."

She didn't move from her spot, just glanced around at him. "Care to join me, Teal'c? The marines are helping me warm up." She bounced on the balls of her feet, fists raised.

However the marine standing opposite her paled, "Major Carter?" he squeaked. It would have been comical if the situation were not so serious. "But…"

Teal'c realized then that since there was nothing on base that would now fit the major, she was wearing fatigues that had no name on them. None of these people had known who she was. That was now changed as a murmur went through the room. Teal'c could feel the speculation running rife as he stepped in to grab the major's arm before she could swing again.

"Either join me or let go, Teal'c," she said in a dangerous voice.

"Major Carter, did not Doctor Frasier advise you to remain close to the ground for the present time until she could decide how best to help you?"

"I think she said keep a low profile. And what's the use of being able to beat the snot out of someone if you don't do it?" She gave an ineffectual tug on her arm.

She might be a match for the marines, but she still wasn't his equal in strength, not yet. With the proper training she would be an even more formidable opponent than she already was. When the time was right, and if it was required he would give her that training, but now was not the time or the place.

"Samantha Carter, I do not believe you are yourself today. Now stop this activity at once or I will be forced to make you stop."

"You'll make me stop?" She turned slowly and he could see the danger in her eyes. He knew the madness that some of his men experienced, the lust for blood that fed them during battle. He saw that in the familiar blue eyes of the major. Then she blinked and it was the Samantha Carter that he knew. She glanced around at the gym full of men, all watching them intently. Her cheeks became blotchy with color.

"Oh, geeze, Teal'c. What have I done?" she asked as her eyes rolled up and she fainted into his arms.

He glared at the men surrounding them as he hoisted the major's not inconsiderable new weight over his shoulder. They parted in front of him as he strode through them. He heard the instant buzz that broke out as soon as he was out of sight.

Yes, it was plain that the cat, as he had heard Daniel Jackson say, was out of the bag.

* * *

Sam shifted uncomfortably on the bed as Janet gently examined her face. When Janet clicked on her pen knife and shone it into her eyes, Sam winced and knocked it aside, "Shit, Janet, what did you do that for?" she asked roughly.

"I was checking for eye reaction. You know, Sam, signs of concussion," Janet said calmly as she went right back to the eye exam.

Sam fidgeted but didn't knock the hand with the penlight away again. "What's wrong with me, Janet? I feel like I'm going to explode."

"Just a guess, but I'd say you have too much testosterone in your body," was Janet's cheerful answer.

Or so it seemed to Sam, "I'm glad to know you're getting such a kick out of this, doctor, but can't you give me a shot or something. Make it go away?"

"Sam," Janet turned the light off and absently slipped it into her pocket, "this isn't just going to go away. You're going to have to learn how to control yourself. You can't just take on a room full of marines..."

"It wasn't a room full of marines," Sam began, only to be interrupted by Teal'c who was standing quietly observing at the head of the bed.

"Indeed it was, Major Carter. I was told that you had already engaged two marines and you were facing a third when I arrived. If I had not stopped you when I did, you might have been seriously injured."

"It's not me who's going to be seriously injured," Sam muttered darkly.

"Sam!" Janet's exasperated huff caught the major's attention.

"What?" she asked sullenly. She scanned the room for a way out, but Teal'c was standing close enough that if she made a move to escape he would stop her.

"You need to take a step back and look at the way you're acting," Janet said as she continued her exam. "It's completely driven by testosterone and only you can control that."

"But how?" Sam wailed plaintively. "Men grow up dealing with it, how am I suddenly supposed to know how to deal with this?"

"Major Carter," Teal'c surprised both women by speaking, "I have watched you deal with many things that you have never known before: the existence of aliens, a war that was not your choosing, being a host to a Tok'ra. There is no manual for how to deal with these things, but you have done it, better than many men I have known. You are one of the bravest people I know, and you will deal with this."

He spoke with such passion and conviction that for a moment Sam was convinced, but then she felt the strange itching within herself, the need to move, to act. She shook her head, "No, Teal'c, I don't know how to be a guy."

"Sam," Janet shook her head with a sad smile, "don't you remember we talked about this once. You don't have to be one of the guys. You kicked Hathor's ass straight out of the SGC and you didn't need the guys help with that…"

There was a sound from Teal'c, it might have been a cough and Janet amended her statement, suppressing the grin that wanted to break out, "Okay, so we let the guys help us a little bit. But if it wasn't for us, our guys would now be serving Hathor and Earth would be just another Goa'uld-controlled world. You did that, you saved Earth. Sam Carter. So it doesn't matter who you are or what you look like, you can deal."

"Are you sure?" She didn't look entirely convinced.

"I am." Janet told her firmly. "Now it doesn't look like you've done anything irreparable, but you can really use a shower." The doctor wrinkled her nose.

Panic appeared in Sam's eyes, "No, Janet, don't make me, please. I just really don't…"

"Sam, I've seen you build a naquada reactor from scratch. What's a shower next to that?"

"You know you really are a napoleanic power mongerer," Sam told her evenly.

"Just say sir when you call me that," Janet said as she handed Sam a towel. "And I think you might want to take a razor," she added.

"Why?" Sam flashed her a surprised glare, "I'm a guy now remember? I don't have to shave my legs."

"It's not your legs that need shaving, my friend," Janet patted her own cheek before leaving Sam alone with Teal'c.

Sam's hand automatically went to her chin, and she ran her fingers over the skin there. Her own skin was supposed to be soft and smooth. She didn't do anything special to achieve it, she'd just been blessed with good genes. That smooth skin was gone now and she found her chin rough and scratchy under her questing fingers, all the way down her neck. She'd tried to ignore the changes in her body, to try to put it in a best-case scenario, but she just couldn't anymore. She was in a man's body and she hated it. She met Teal'c's gaze, "I don't think I know how to shave my face," she confessed softly.

"I looked forward many years to the first time that Rya'c would have to shave. I was going to teach him as my father taught me."

His reminiscing tone took her by surprise. Teal'c so very rarely opened up about his family. She asked, "What happened?" if only to delay the inevitable.

"I did not get to teach him, Major Carter. I assisted you in your escape from Apophis. I was here on Earth when Rya'c achieved his first growth and had to shave. Another man taught my son this thing."

Sam swallowed a lump, "I'm so sorry, Teal'c. I knew you gave up your family to help us, but I never thought…"

Teal'c held up a hand to stop her, "I did not tell you this to make you feel guilty, Samantha Carter. What we did gave my son a chance to grow up free of the Goa'uld. This is more important. I was simply going to say that I would be honored to assist you in this."

Sam sat a momentcompletely overcome by gratitude that he understood she needed what he offered before she even knew it herself. She nodded and smiled, "Thank you, Teal'c I'd like that." She hopped down from the gurney, swaying a little from the sudden shift in gravity. He steadied her with a hand on her shoulders.

Brothers in arms, somehow that didn't sound so bad anymore.

* * *

Thanks so much for the excellent feedback ;-)Hopefully I can use it to make my story better. Only time will tell.


	8. Chapter 8

When he finally reemerged from the bathroom, Daniel was clad in loose-fitting sweats that proclaimed him to be 'Property of the US Air Force'. Jack nearly had to swallow his tongue not to comment. Daniel gave him a tremulous smile as he sat down at the table opposite him. He had a comb in his hand and began to pull at the tangle that was his hair.

"Okay, just give it to me straight," he said. "How bad is it?"

"Bad?" Jack shook his head, not certain what Daniel was referring to, it just could be so many things at the moment.

"You know…. what do you call it? The sit rep. Has Janet and Sam found anything out?"

"Oh. Yeah, the sit rep." Jack had honestly hoped Daniel wouldn't ask, because it wasn't good. It was reassuring that he wanted to know, though. Daniel always wanted to know.

Closing the magazine, Jack pushed it aside, meeting his friend's eyes, they hadn't changed at least. As long as he concentrated on the eyes he could pretend this was Daniel, the way he knew him. Not Daniel, the new and improved version. "It's not good, Daniel, I've got to be honest with you, Janet doesn't have any ideas for how to fix this."

"But surely she and Sam are working on it. I mean when you were infected with those nanocytes that made you older, we figured out how to fix that."

"But this isn't a virus, Daniel, it's… I don't know what its is. Yes, they're working on it, but you two might be like this for a while."

Daniel sagged in the chair, chewing on a fingernail. Was that a new habit? Did the male Daniel chew his fingernails? Jack honestly couldn't remember.

"A while? You know. What is that exactly? A day? Two? A week? A month? Forever?" Female Daniel's emotions were a lot closer to the surface and he didn't seem to have a handle on how to suppress them yet as tears sprang to his eyes during his impassioned plea.

Jack swallowed the lump that was in his own throat, he hated this, "I don't know, Daniel."

"What about a sarcophagus?"

How did Jack tell him that they'd already discussed all the possibilities up one side and down the other and kept coming up with nothing, "Teal'c doesn't think it'll work because there's nothing physically wrong with you for the sarcophagus to fix."

Daniel exploded out of the chair, "How can you say that, Jack? I wasn't born a woman. Sam wasn't born a man. We can't stay like this." He prowled around the room, "I feel like I'm going to jump out of my skin here, Jack. Everything _feels_. I don't know how to deal with it."

"Do you want me to call Janet?"

Daniel took a couple of deep breaths and shook his head, "No, I'd rather deal with this without Janet and her needles." He shuddered and sat, then just as quickly he stood and began to pace around the room like a caged lion. Then he sat again.

It made Jack dizzy just to watch him. "Daniel, would you just sit, for crying out loud. You're giving me a headache here."

Daniel jumped up and started to say something, then threw himself on the bed, sobbing wildly.

Jack sat helplessly, not knowing what he'd said, not knowing what to do. _Wasn't this just peachy?_ God, he hoped Fraiser came up with something soon.

Not really knowing what else to do, Jack called the doctor.

* * *

Daniel had burrowed under the covers by the time the Doctor arrived. Jack opened the door at her knock and pointed to the bed. 

She sat and asked gently, "Daniel, are you okay?"

"What do you think?" Daniel didn't emerge from his nest of covers, in fact he pulled the pillows over his head, too, "Just go away."

Exchanging a worried glance with the colonel, Janet tried to pull the covers away, but Daniel was having none of it. She sighed and gave up, taking a different tact, "Daniel I know this is hard…"

The pillow lifted long enough for him to say, "Hard doesn't even begin to cover it, Janet. Do you know how different this is? I can't even begin to tell you."

Janet tried again, "Daniel, this isn't just a different body you're in, it's a woman's body."

They barely heard his muffled voice from beneath the pillows, "I think I comprehend that."

Patiently she continued, "Well, it's not going to react the way you're used to. Both you and Sam are going to have a whole new set of signals to deal with. Sam has to deal with the testosterone and the impulses that come with being male. You're going to have to deal with a flood of hormones and all that comes with being a woman."

"I don't think I can deal with this, Janet. I… I…. think I'm going crazy. I'm crying for no reason, just look at me." Emerging at last from under the pillows, tears streaked his cheeks. His eyes were red and puffy and his nose was running.

Jack snagged some Kleenex from the table and crossed to hand them to his friend. She looked at him gratefully, taking them from him. Sharply, Jack realized he'd just thought of Daniel in the feminine sense. _He, _he corrected himself sharply, _he_.

"It's the hormones," Janet told them. "You'll learn how to deal with them. But for now, I don't want you going off the base without my express consent. You've grown up as a man, knowing how to deal with things as a man. Your brain and your body aren't going to get along for awhile. Until you start learning that, I don't want you out of my sight."

"Don't worry," Daniel assured her, "I won't be leaving this room without a very good reason. I can barely walk."

"New center of gravity," she smiled at him. "Seriously, Daniel, you should let the colonel take you down to the gym and start working out. You need to get used to how this body works. Your strength is going to be in different areas, places where you remember that you should be strong, won't be, you need to deal with this."

Daniel's eyes narrowed as what she was saying finally percolated its way to his brain, "You don't think you're going to be able to fix this, do you?" he asked suspiciously. Jack might have said it to him, but now it was beginning to become real.

Janet glanced away, and then back, "At the moment, I have no idea of how to fix this, Daniel. We're working on it, but…" she trailed off, not liking at all admitting that she was helpless in the face of this newest affliction.

"Oh, God," Daniel whispered, "I could be a woman for the rest of my life?" he asked in horror.

Janet turned a disconcerting glance his way, "Don't say it like that, Daniel, I've been a woman all my life and I've managed so far."

Jack thought Daniel was going to burrow under the covers again, then unexpectedly, his lips quirked in a smile, "I was a little over the top wasn't I?"

Jack felt the knot in his gut loosen a little and for the first time he thought that things might be alright after all.

* * *

Sam stared in the mirror clutching the razor in her hand. It was one the freakiest parts of the whole experience that she just didn't recognize her own self in the mirror. For all her life she'd known who she was. It might frustrate her that she had to work so hard to be accepted into what was basically a man's world in the air force, but she liked being a woman. She liked being a successful woman in the air force, it was all a part of what made Sam Carter who she was. Now she no longer had that. She was just another cog in the wheel, there was nothing to make her special or stand out from the crowd. And when she stared at herself in the mirror she didn't know who she was. 

She could see Teal'c out of the corner of her eye, shaving easily, almost without appearing to think about it. Her hand shook where she gripped the razor. She eyed the new plains on her face trying to decide just where to apply the razor, how much force she should use, what downward angle to take. She had re-engineered alien technology to work with her own. She had built naquadah generators and knew how to use them; she could do this, she knew she could. Determined, she took her first stroke.

"Ouch!" She pulled the razor away and could see a welling of red in the white of the shaving cream.

Calmly Teal'c handed her a bit of tissue to dab at the blood. "Do not hold the razor so tightly, Major Carter, it must become an extension of your hand," he told her. "Let it glide across your face; do not try to pull it, or you will cut yourself again and again."

_Oh, great_, she thought, _the zen of shaving_, just what she needed.

Then she realized, she did need it. This was the way guys did things, and she was going to have to start thinking that way, too. Determined, she loosened her grip a little and tried again, this time succeeding in drawing the razor down her face. She cleared away most of the shaving cream applied there, but very little of the actual stubble under it. She shook her head as she rinsed the cream from the razor. Shaving was definitely harder than it looked.

* * *

To be continued...


End file.
